Mobility-aware antenna beam tracking for moving communication devices

Abstract

Moving communication devices present challenges for conventional antenna beam sweeping techniques. According to embodiments of mobility-aware antenna beam tracking as disclosed herein signaling is communicated between a User Equipment (UE) and a moving communication device in a wireless communication network. The signaling is indicative of a beam trajectory along which an antenna beam, that is associated with the moving communication device, is moving. The moving communication device itself is also moving, along a device trajectory that may or may not be the same as the beam trajectory. The antenna beam is used for subsequent directional communications between the UE and the moving communication device.

1 . An apparatus comprising a processor coupled with a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when the instructions executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method, wherein the method comprises:
 obtaining trajectory information associated with a moving communication device, wherein the apparatus is served by the moving communication device; and   transmitting or receiving data based on the trajectory information.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the trajectory information comprises at least one of beam trajectory information or geographical trajectory information, the beam trajectory information indicating abeam trajectory and the geographical trajectory information indicating a geographical trajectory. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the trajectory information comprises the geographical trajectory information and wherein the geographical trajectory information comprises at least one of a position of the moving communication device, an altitude of the moving communication device, or a velocity of the moving communication device. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein, when the trajectory information comprises the beam trajectory information, the transmitting or receiving data based on the trajectory information comprises:
 transmitting or receiving data using an antenna beam, wherein the antenna beam is obtained based on beam trajectory information.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the antenna beam is selected from a plurality of candidate antenna beams, based on alignment between the beam trajectory and a mobility pattern of the apparatus. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , the method further comprising determining beam misalignment of the antenna beam based on at least one of:
 a difference between a velocity vector of the apparatus and the beam trajectory having a magnitude that is greater than a threshold; or   received signal power associated with the antenna beam.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the transmitting or receiving comprises transmitting or receiving data using an antenna beam, the method further comprising predicting a receive parameter associated with the antenna beam based on the beam trajectory and a mobility pattern of a receiver of the antenna beam. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the transmitting or receiving comprises transmitting or receiving data using an antenna beam, the method further comprising communicating with the moving communication device, signaling indicative of a receive parameter that is associated with the antenna beam and is predicted by a receiver of the antenna beam based on the beam trajectory and a mobility pattern of the receiver of the antenna beam. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the trajectory information is received via system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC). 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus comprising a processor coupled with a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when the instructions executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method, wherein the method comprises:
 transmitting trajectory information, the trajectory information associated with the apparatus while it is moving, wherein the apparatus is serving a user equipment (UE); and   transmitting or receiving data of the UE based on the trajectory information.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the trajectory information comprises at least one of beam trajectory information or geographical trajectory information, the beam trajectory information indicating a beam trajectory and the geographical trajectory information indicating a geographical trajectory. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the trajectory information comprises the geographical trajectory information and wherein the geographical trajectory information comprises at least one of a position of the apparatus, an altitude of the apparatus, or a velocity of the apparatus. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein, when the trajectory information comprises the beam trajectory information, transmitting or receiving, by the apparatus, the data based on the trajectory information comprises:
 transmitting or receiving, by the apparatus, data using an antenna beam, wherein the antenna beam is obtained based on beam trajectory information.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the antenna beam is selected from a plurality of candidate antenna beams based on alignment between the beam trajectory and a mobility pattern of the apparatus. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises determining beam misalignment of the antenna beam based on at least one of:
 a difference between a velocity vector of the apparatus and the beam trajectory having a magnitude that is greater than a threshold; or   received signal power associated with the antenna beam.   
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 obtaining, by an apparatus, trajectory information associated with a moving communication device, wherein the apparatus is served by the moving communication device; and   transmitting or receiving, by the apparatus, data based on the trajectory information.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the trajectory information comprises at least one of beam trajectory information or geographical trajectory information, the beam trajectory information indicating a beam trajectory and the geographical trajectory information indicating a geographical trajectory. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the trajectory information comprises the geographical trajectory information and wherein the geographical trajectory information comprises at least one of a position of the moving communication device, an altitude of the moving communication device, or a velocity of the moving communication device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the trajectory information comprises the beam trajectory information, and wherein the transmitting or receiving comprises transmitting or receiving, by the apparatus, data using an antenna beam, wherein the antenna beam is obtained based on beam trajectory information. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the antenna beam is selected from a plurality of candidate antenna beams based on alignment between the beam trajectory and a mobility pattern of the apparatus.